Simple Guide to Help you Identify your New Home.
Understanding your budget is important. Next comes understanding your needs versus your wants when buying a home in Northern Virginia.
I’ve been on an HGTV kick recently. I’ll be the first to admit it. I will be honest and say that sometimes it sort of shocks me when people can’t see beyond the furniture and the poor choice of wall color. It seems that sometimes the first time buyers that they showcase on HGTV want something -exactly as they want it- even if that something is beyond their means. They also aren’t able to look past the present homeowner’s belongings, which is why it is important the sellers prepare their home properly… that’s another story! Think about it, though… buying a home is the largest purchase most of us will make in our lifetime, so why shouldn’t we get what we need and want in our first place?
Having a home that is your sanctuary should be your right and it would be wonderful if you could get all of the things that you want in your first place. We have to remember though, our wants and needs may not fit directly into the budgets that we have and this is where we have to identify what our most definite needs are within our living space.
Here are some questions to help get you started in thinking about what you actually need versus what you may want in your home.
• What is you budget? Are you comfortable spending that full amount?
• What style of home do you want? Single Family, Condo, Townhouse?
• Where do you want to be? Arlington? Alexandria? Fairfax, etc?
• How many bedrooms?
• How many bathrooms?
• Do you need a yard?
• What sort of commute are you planning on for work, school, etc?
• What sort of parking do you need? A garage, a parking space, street parking?
• Do you require amenities
such as a pool, gym, office, etc?
Honing in on these details can help me narrow down which properties we need to look at when we get to the house viewing part of the search. Understanding that other homeowners may not have your same sense of style is important; we’re looking at the home, and not their stuff. Hopefully we can find you something that meets all of your criteria and even find some healthier, more energy efficient homes here in Northern Virginia.
